The Cereal Bowl
by Lyria Rose
Summary: A collection of Milk and Cereal (Pyrruby) oneshots that I may or may not have been bullied into posting by members of my Discord. Warning: massive amounts of fluff, and sometimes feels. May have little continuity with one another. AU timeline, for obvious reasons. Cover art by DashingIceCream.
1. What Are We?

"Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha looked up from the book she was idly paging through, unable to really focus on what she was supposed to be reading. Next to her on Pyrrha's bunk, Ruby was draped listlessly across the bed, staring at the ceiling in a rare moment of calm. The shorter redhead's eyes were squinting a little as she traced the stucco patterns on the ceiling with her eyes. Setting her book aside for the moment, Pyrrha shifted a little closer to Ruby.

"Yes, Ruby?" responded she, tone as prim and polite as ever. Ruby's eyes flicked over to her, then returned to the ceiling. She seemed to be almost, but not quite, pouting.

"What are we?"

Blinking, Pyrrha opened her mouth to respond, then closed it. Truthfully, she didn't know. They were… girlfriends, weren't they? They had both confessed, and they'd just recently gone on their first date. Did that count as a relationship? Pyrrha didn't know; she'd never had any experience with relationships besides the crush on Jaune that had ended terribly with his rejection of her at the end of their second year.

"I don't know," she responded honestly, shaking her head and clasping her hands in her lap. Momentarily, her left twitched towards Ruby's free right hand, but she pulled back. What if Ruby didn't want to hold hands? "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Ruby said, sitting up, her squinting gaze widening to a normal stare as she looked at Pyrrha. They spent a few moments like that, simply gazing into one another's eyes. They'd had a few moments like that since they had confessed their feelings. If ever Yang was around when it happened, she'd tease them until Pyrrha's face was as red as her hair and she was apologizing profusely, whereas Ruby usually took the whiny, pouty route to get Yang to stop teasing her girlfriend(?). "I was just wondering, y'know?"

"Well, we're…" Pyrrha frowned, still not having an answer. "I'm sorry, I really don't know. I'm too new to this. I'm sorry…"

Ruby giggled a little at Pyrrha's habit, poking her once in the nose. "Boop."

Pyrrha blinked a few times. That was something she'd Nora do to Ren many times. What did Ruby mean by it? "I-I'm sorry?"

"Quit it, you," Ruby giggled again, hugging Pyrrha lightly. The taller girl went slightly stiff, unsure how to respond. "You apologize too much."

"I'm sorry," Pyrrha said automatically. Ruby sighed, smacking her head against Pyrrha's abdomen lightly.

"You have a problem, Pyrrha," she said, in a mock-serious voice. "A serious problem. This is an intervention. No more apologizing. The authorities have determined it's a danger to those around you. The cuteness is unsafe and may cause heart failure."

"I'm-" Pyrrha stopped upon seeing Ruby's knowing, amused look. "-you know."

"Back to my question, though," Ruby said, sitting back. "What _are_ we, Pyrrha?"

"Well, we're… girlfriends?" Pyrrha ventured hesitantly, and Ruby squinted.

"That sounded more like a question than an answer…"

"I'm-" Pyrrha stopped again, clamping her mouth shut, the muffled "sorry" still audible behind her closed lips.

"But, anyway, girlfriends? Does that mean we're, like, a thing?" asked Ruby with a shy look away. Pyrrha considered this for a few moments, before nodding.

"I… think so?" she said, blinking a few times. "I assume by 'thing,' you mean 'couple?'"

"Yeah!" Ruby exclaimed in a sudden burst of enthusiasm that made Pyrrha jump a little. The dorm room had been so quiet… "And couples do couple stuff, right?"

"'Couple stuff?'" echoed Pyrrha with a puzzled tilt of her head, causing a cascade of red locks down her shoulder. "What is 'couple stuff?'"

Ruby flushed. "You know, like… hugging, and holding hands, and…" Her voice dropping momentarily, she added, "...kissing…" Looking up again, she met Pyrrha's gaze dead-on. "Can I?"

Before Pyrrha had a chance to really respond, Ruby leaned forward, a somewhat-predatory gleam in her normally innocent silver eyes. "Pyrrha, can I k-kiss you?"

Pyrrha almost laughed at the stammer paired with the aggressive statement. It was so quintessentially Ruby that it filled her with a happy warmth knowing that her girlfriend(!) had such quirks, and that she would be privy to them from now on.

"Yes, Ruby," she said softly. "You can kiss me."

Ruby nearly pounced as she leaned forward quickly, their noses bumping roughly with a sharp exclamation of pain from Ruby and a grunt from Pyrrha.

"Ow…" Ruby said, leaning back. There seemed to be tears in her eyes. "Sorry, I got too excited… I ruined our first kiss…"

"No, you didn't," Pyrrha corrected her. "We didn't kiss, after all. But be more careful, alright?" she added, with a twinkle in her eyes. "Your nose is too cute for anything to happen to it."

Before Ruby had the chance to go into a stammering fit, Pyrrha seized the chance.

And it was pretty much the best kiss ever.


	2. Future

Pyrrha wrinkled her nose as Ruby entered Team JNPR's dorm room, looking exhausted. "Ruby? Where have you been? It's late. I was starting to worry that you weren't going to show up tonight…"

"'M sorry," the shorter redhead mumbled, as she fell into her girlfriend's embrace. "Studying… with Weiss… she wouldn't let me leave, even after I told her tonight was movie night…" Looking up at Pyrrha, she pecked her on the lips, hands resting on her back securely. "I'm sorry, Pyrrha. I ruined our movie night, didn't I?"

"Don't be sorry," Pyrrha said with a shake of her head, smiling after the short kiss. "Your studies are more important than me. It wouldn't do for you to fail; we'd never be able to see each other then, right?"

"I guess…" replied Ruby with a pout. "It still sucks, though…"

"Well…" Pyrrha threaded her fingers through Ruby's hair, smiling at the adorably surprised look on her girlfriend's face. "I can't exactly disagree with you, there. Come on," she pulled Ruby toward her bunk. "We haven't started yet."

"Hi Ruby!" Nora said with an energetic wave, dressed in clean white pajamas. Nearby, Jaune was already asleep, and Ren was reading a book with a book light, oblivious or uncaring to the noise his partner was making.

"Hi, Nora!" Ruby replied, mustering up a smile. "What are we watching tonight?"

"Good question! I'm glad you asked!"

There was a pause.

"Nora?"

"What?"

"Are you… gonna tell me?"

"Nope!"

Smiling despite herself, Ruby sat on Pyrrha's lap, allowing the taller girl to wrap her arms securely around her waist and rest her chin on Ruby's head. The two melded together in what had become a regular sight ever since they had started dating, almost half a year ago now. In fact, unbeknownst to their partner, each of the duo was currently planning furiously for their six-month anniversary. Ruby had even gotten Weiss to help her draw up different flowcharts and graphs…

Ruby yawned as the movie started, the sound of rain filling the room as the opening scene began. Murmuring something unintelligible, she leaned back further into Pyrrha's form, eliciting a slight, happy laugh from the older girl.

"I love you, Ruby Rose," she murmured back in reply to the girl's babbles, and Ruby looked at her, silver eyes already half-lidded with exhaustion.

"Love you, too…" she sighed, leaning up to kiss Pyrrha's chin. "I… I'm so glad I met you, Pyrrha."

"Oh?" Pyrrha hummed softly, fingers drumming once on Ruby's sides. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, you're… you're the best, really. And I don't mean in the whole 'combat champion' thing!" she added hastily. "I mean… you're the best friend I've got, and the best girlfriend I could ask for. I wish… I wish things would never change. I wish we could stay like this…"

Pyrrha nodded once, understanding the sentiment. They were midway through their third year. Only a year and a half more, and they would be full-fledged Huntresses, on to go wherever their careers might take them. Seeing each other then would be… a lot harder to orchestrate than a simple walk across the hall.

Which was why Pyrrha had bought the ring that was currently sitting in her bag.

It wasn't an engagement ring, for even she, a total newcomer to relationships, knew that six months was too short for such things. But she _did_ know that, given the chance, she'd be happy to spend the rest of her life with Ruby, and so the ring she'd bought was a promise ring. A placeholder, until both of them were ready for Pyrrha to buy Ruby the real thing. She had already made a reservation at Ruby's favorite restaurant, and she'd been saving her Lien for months. All she had to do was present the box…

No, that couldn't be it. She couldn't just hand Ruby the box with a "here, take this!" Where was the romance in that?

"So do I," she replied, shaking herself from her thoughts. She'd worry about such things later. For now, they had a movie to watch.

...If Ruby didn't fall asleep first.


	3. Sister

"So."

Pyrrha glanced up from her notebook, to where Yang had slid onto the bench next to her. The blonde was looking up at the sky, arms spread out on the back of the bench in a relaxed pose. Despite this, the look on her face was deadly serious, something Pyrrha knew from experience was not good. Around them, the usual bustle of the Beacon gardens was drowned out by midday sleepiness, the birds and insects in the air heralding the beginning of summer, which would arrive in just over a month. With it, it would be the end of their fourth year, and they would be taking their final written exam, and then their final combat exam, the latter of which was mostly kept secret from the students.

"So?" she echoed, pushing her reading glasses up her nose with a careful hand as she swept her notebook shut.

"You proposed to my sister," said Yang, voice tight. Pyrrha tensed. She could tell already; Yang was _not_ happy with this.

"I did," she affirmed, thinking of the ruby ring she'd bought Ruby for their two-year anniversary. "She seemed quite happy."

"Happy? She's over the moon, Pyr," her friend replied, turning to face her at last. Her eyes were narrowed, just a tinge of red ringing them. Pyrrha began to wish she kept Milo and Akouo on hand during breaks. "But _why didn't you tell me?_ "

The redheaded woman paused. Yang's anger wasn't at her proposal itself, it seemed; just that she hadn't been _told_ beforehand. Which was… reasonable, she supposed.

"I'm sorry," she answered honestly, holding Yang's gaze levelly. "If I'm being honest… I was so excited, I completely forgot. I know you would've liked to have been there for that, Yang. I'm… I'm sorry."

Yang's form relaxed slightly, her muscular figure no longer coiled for attack, and Pyrrha relaxed as well, the danger having apparently passed. The traces of red disappeared from Yang's eyes.

"Well, when is it?"

"Sorry?"

"The wedding," said the blonde impatiently, crossing her arms under her chest. "When is it?

Pyrrha tilted her head a little in thought. "Well… we hadn't decided on a date. I only proposed yesterday, Yang."

"Yes, and I know you," Yang shot back. "You plan ahead for _everything._ Hell, I bet you planned on when to ask again if Ruby turned your proposal down."

Pyrrha shuddered. She had indeed done that. Weiss was rubbing off on her.

"So I'll ask again," Yang started, idly cracking her neck. "When is it?"

"I was…" Pyrrha blushed, pausing for a few moments. "I was thinking right after graduation? I don't want to steal the moment from everyone, but… I want it to be as special as possible, and…"

"You explain too much," interrupted the blonde. "I getcha. Tell me more another time; I see a-"

"Oh, hey Yang!" a new voice said, as a familiar pair of arms wrapped around Pyrrha from behind at a speed which suggested the person they belonged to had barely kept from slamming into her full-force. "What're you two talking about?"

Pyrrha felt warmth flood through her chest, a blush on her face as she reclined, almost limp. It was always like this; Ruby would hold her, or start talking, and the taller woman would just turn into a puddle in her arms. She couldn't help it; she was just so in love with this woman, even after two years… no, she'd loved her for so much longer. Twice that, even. Maybe not the moment they met, but…

Shaking herself, she turned and stood, embracing her girlfriend fully and inhaling deeply, the scent of strawberries flooding her senses. Even after four years, Ruby was still shorter than her, though she now stood only a few inches below her sister. Her red and black hair, which had been short-cut when they met, was now almost to her mid-back, and Pyrrha knew from experience that it was quite the hassle to comb in the mornings. Ruby had discussed cutting it again recently, something that had sent Pyrrha into somewhat of a tizzy ("No! You _can't!_ ")-she loved Ruby's hair.

Yang answered with an innocent look on her face. "Nothing, sis. Just small talk. Finished with your study session with Weiss?"

"Yup!" replied the smaller woman, winking at Pyrrha. Pyrrha got the distinct feeling there had been no study session.

"Well," said Yang with a dramatic yawn. "I guess I'll leave you two lovebirds to it." With one last meaningful look at Pyrrha, she walked off, probably to find her own girlfriend. Pyrrha imagined Blake was asleep somewhere, tucked in a nook with a book, as per usual. So much and so little had changed in four years.

"How's your day going?" asked the taller girl, as Yang disappeared, humming lightly as she swayed back and forth with Ruby in her arms.

"Great," Ruby said, a brilliant smile on her face. She glanced at the ring on her finger, and her smile only grew. "Not as great as yesterday, obviously, but, well… you know."

Pyrrha smiled back, leaning down to rest her forehead against Ruby's. "I'm glad," she whispered, eyes closed as she continued to hum. "You like it, right?"

Ruby gave a short, breathy chuckle. "Pyrrha," she whispered back, giving her girlfriend a short kiss. "You could've given me a rock from the lake and I would've loved it. The ring is great, but what matters is _you._ You… you kept your promise." Tears formed in her eyes at this last sentence. It truly meant the world to her; what had started tentatively as a cautious, unsure relationship between the two had become what was almost a metaphysical bond, something more than just emotion that linked them together. "I love you, Pyrrha."

"Mm…" Pyrrha inhaled, pausing for a long moment, before replying. "I love you too, Ruby Rose."

 _And I always will._


	4. Aftermath

"Pyrrha?"

Ruby leaned into Pyrrha's room, seeing the near-still form of her girlfriend curled up, as usual, in bed. Her normally shining crimson hair had lost its luster, and the only sign that the girl was even really alive was the slight rise and fall of her side as she laid otherwise motionless.

Pyrrha gave no response to her call. Stepping into the room, Ruby treaded quietly over the floorboards of the Xiao Long/Rose household's guest room, which had become more or less Pyrrha's room after the Fall. She stopped just short of the bed, reaching out a hand to lay on Pyrrha's side, before a weary voice stopped her.

"What is it, Ruby?"

The shorter redhead flinched at the dead tone of Pyrrha's voice. It was absent of any emotion, laden with the pure exhaustion of someone who hadn't had a peaceful night's sleep in months. Ruby had thought her own nightmares of the Fall terrifying; they were nothing compared to whatever induced the shrieking, sobbing fits that Pyrrha seemed to go into after just five minutes of being asleep. She had stayed with Ren and Nora at first, but her remaining teammates, unable to console the girl, had asked Ruby to take care of her in their stead. Gladly accepting, Ruby had had no idea what she was in for. There had been so many sleepless nights, spent hugging the other girl fiercely, crying along with her, or just simply being a hand on her shoulder.

"I…" Swallowing, Ruby stopped herself. She truly had no idea what to say; she had let her feet carry her here, away from her brooding sister and her father who was so desperately trying to hold his family together. She just wanted her girlfriend back. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Pyrrha… I… I miss you."

Moving at last, there was the sound of cracking joints as Pyrrha uncurled from the ball she was in, her head turning just enough to look Ruby in the eyes.

In that instant, Ruby wished Pyrrha would've stayed still.

Her eyes were the worst part of Pyrrha now; what had once been shining twin pools the same color as the leaves, full of hope and love, were now just deadened circles of green.

"I'm sorry," whispered the Mistralian girl, and Ruby flinched.

The phrase had once been something Ruby found endearing, something that made Pyrrha who she was, an adorable quirk that never lost its charm. Now, it was a not-so-gentle reminder of the woman's ongoing torment.

Ruby steeled herself. She had to push forward. She couldn't let Pyrrha continue like this.

Sitting down on the bed, she rested her hand on Pyrrha's back, rubbing it gently. Pyrrha stiffened at first, then relaxed into the touch with a sigh, more resigned than grateful. Ruby's gaze drifted out the window, where snow was just beginning to cover the ground. "No… I'm sorry. Pyrrha, you're… you're not okay. I know you probably just want to be left alone, but-I just can't. I can't stand seeing you like this anymore. I know you're hurting, and Jaune's death-" here, Pyrrha visibly locked up, even her breathing ceasing as her eyes widened. "-hurt me too; it hurt all of us, but you have to get up. You can't just stay here. Things are bad out there, and Ren, Nora, and I leave for Haven in a week. I need you- _we_ need you to come with us."

There was a silence.

"Is that it?"

Ruby flinched as Pyrrha sat up, the thinness of the Mistralian's form showing just how poorly she'd been eating recently. She was almost gaunt, her gaze on Ruby turned from empty to smoldering.

"Is that it?" she repeated lowly, her voice growing in volume as she talked. "You want me to get better, so I can accompany you- _protect_ you-while you travel to Mistral? You want me to stop feeling sad and go back to Pyrrha 'Invincible Girl' Nikos, the girl no one can touch? You want me to forget tearing Penny to shreds, forget all those people who died, forget when Cinder..."

Pyrrha's voice broke, her form all but folding back in on itself as she slumped back down onto the bed. "When Cinder shot Jaune through the heart? When I held him in my arms as he died, with _nothing_ to help him or even ease his pain? When he grabbed me and kissed me and tried to tell me to calm down, that everything was going to be fine, and he…" The redhead swallowed, tears that she had thought long exhausted coming to her eyes. "And he just _crumbled…_ "

Ruby could stand it no longer; she dove down, her small arms circling around Pyrrha's larger frame, the older redhead immediately reciprocating the gesture with twice as much force as she broke down sobbing. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" was all Pyrrha could repeat over and over, and Ruby sighed, her hands rubbing circles in Pyrrha's back.

"I know," she whispered back.

"I know."


	5. Recall

Ruby rested her chin on her fist, staring across the table at "Pyrrha" while stirring her coffee idly with one finger. "So… we were… friends?"

The taller redhead flushed, shaking her head. "Not… exactly. We were partners, Ruby."

Ruby paused from her stirring, her confusion only growing. "But Yang told me that Weiss is my partner."

Sighing, Pyrrha reached out a hand, seemingly to grasp Ruby's, then hesitated, allowing the hand to fall back into her lap. "Not that kind of partner, Ruby. You and I were girlfriends. We were… supposed to get married, actually."

Ruby flushed as well, face turning as red as her companion's hair as a silence fell over them, broken by the noise of the coffee shop as they gazed at one another. Laughing nervously, Ruby fiddled with her cloak (Yang had given it to her; she said that she always kept it with her before the accident). "Oh."

"Oh?" It was Pyrrha's turn to rest her chin on her fist, gazing across not at Ruby's eyes now, but her hands, as they danced nervously through red fabric. Ruby gave a minute nod.

"I guess that explains the stuff with my heart… and stuff."

Tilting her head, Pyrrha smiled, somewhat amused by the flustered demeanour Ruby was displaying. It was almost like she was looking at the old Ruby, the one who fidgeted every time they were about to kiss, who could never seem to find her tongue when the Mistralian girl was around… "And stuff?" she repeated again. "What stuff?"

"Well, since I walked into this shop, my heart has been beating really fast and it's kind of hard to talk and I can't stop thinking about how pretty you are and-and I should really stop talking now," Ruby mumbled, hiding her face behind her hands. Pyrrha chuckled, and this time did not stop herself from reaching across to take one of Ruby's hands. Her thumb ran across Ruby's knuckles in an intimate gesture that Ruby was all at once new to and intensely familiar with, her brain telling her this was the first time and her body telling her the millionth.

"Wait," she said suddenly, her gaze rising to meet Pyrrha's emerald eyes once more. "But I thought Weiss and I were dating? Everything in the memories I've gotten back says-"

"You and Weiss tried for a year or two," the taller woman interrupted calmly, thumb pausing in its motions across the back of Ruby's hand. "You were good friends, but… well, I suppose it just didn't work out. You and I… well, we've had our troubles, but things have been okay so far. Until… Until two months ago."

Ruby nodded silently, a dismayed feeling spreading through her chest as a clearly heartbroken look spread across Pyrrha's face before she had the good sense to stop herself. It was the same feeling she'd felt when Yang had hugged her after waking up, only to realise her little sister didn't remember her. The same feeling she'd had when Weiss had introduced herself and gone quiet upon Ruby's affirmation that she really _didn't_ recall meeting her. The same feeling she'd had for countless friends and relatives, all fresh faces to her. It was like she'd been thrust into someone else's life with no prior knowledge of it, and all she could do was attempt to fill a role much too big for her-the role of "Ruby Rose, Huntress Extraordinaire!"

"Why didn't you visit?"

The question hung heavy in the air, and it hurt to speak it, almost as much as it hurt to see Pyrrha flinch and retract her hand. Still, Ruby needed to know.

"I did," said Pyrrha in a low voice, her figure seeming to shake slightly. "Every day, for those first three weeks. I would've slept beside you, in that hospital chair, but they wouldn't let me. And when you woke, they told me 'family members only.' And when they started letting friends in, they told me 'she's not ready yet.' But… I'm sorry. I should have fought harder to be beside you."

"No!" Ruby waved her hands frantically. "Don't be sorry! It's not your fault! Not your fault at all! I just… it doesn't make sense to me."

"Me neither," said the Mistralian woman in a slightly bitter tone. Sighing, she shook her head and smiled a little. "I suppose it doesn't matter now, does it? I'm here, and you're here. Right?"

Ruby nodded. "Right…"

Looking down, she picked up the coffee Pyrrha had bought her for the first time. "Do I drink coffee? Yang would never let me have it in the hospital."

"Sometimes," replied Pyrrha. "Usually you don't need it, but sometimes you drink it just for the taste. Although, you drown it in milk and sugar. I tried to make it like you usually do."

Ruby took a sip, and almost gagged at the amount of sugar in the drink. One thing she didn't think she'd ever understand was her old self's apparent crippling addiction to sugar. However, before she could express her distaste, she heard a slight giggle.

"What?" she asked. Pyrrha giggled again, hand over her mouth.

"Nothing," she said, a mirthful grin on her face. "I just never thought I'd see the day where Ruby Rose would make faces at sugar."

"...it doesn't concern you?" Ruby asked.

"What doesn't?"

"Well, I mean…" Ruby gestured aimlessly, not sure what to say. "The woman you love is sitting right in front of you, and she dislikes something that was apparently a pretty big part of who she used to be."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "Ruby, I'm not going to stop loving you because you don't like sugar anymore. If anything, I'm less worried about you getting diabetes now."

A flood of warmth filled Ruby as Pyrrha stood up, walking around the table to sit in the chair beside Ruby, as opposed to across from her. The woman paused, gauging her reaction, and when Ruby didn't object, she settled in, crossing her legs. "I'm not going to stop loving you because you don't remember me, either," she said quietly. "Whatever you decide to do, and whoever you may end up loving instead, I don't think I'll _ever_ stop loving you."

Ruby's heart, previously just battering her ribcage, now felt like it was soaring, her breath quickening as she leaned in Pyrrha's direction, surprising the woman with a one-armed hug. "I don't think you'll have to worry," she whispered back. "My brain might not remember you, but everything else… everything else tells me that I'm still in love with you, too."

"I'm glad…" breathed Pyrrha, her arm draping around Ruby's shoulders as well. Tilting her head to the side and looking Ruby in the eyes, she asked, "May I?"

Ruby's mouth felt like it might betray her any second now, so she instead settled for a small squeak and a nod, her frame stiffening as Pyrrha's lips met her own. She relaxed shortly after as her hands instinctively looped around Pyrrha's neck, her breath coming out in soft sighs as she lost herself in the sensation of the kiss.

As Pyrrha pulled back, smiling lovingly at her, she asked, "So…? What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that I made a really good choice in girlfriends," Ruby mumbled, her face fiery red. "Th-the coffee will get cold…"

"Ah, you're right," Pyrrha said, her arms reluctantly unwinding from Ruby's torso (the smaller woman hadn't even noticed they'd been there, so comfortable was she). She repositioned herself on the other side of the table, looking much happier now than she had when Ruby had entered the shop. She raised the cup of coffee to her lips, trying to play it off elegantly, but Ruby could tell from the longer than average draught she took that Pyrrha more or less wanted to get out of the shop and to somewhere where they could resume kissing as soon as possible.

 _She's really cute…_

Smiling herself, Ruby raised her own cup to her lips once more before gagging again, earning another chuckle from Pyrrha.

"What? I forgot!" the shorter redhead defended herself. Pyrrha simply continued to laugh.

"If you say so…"


	6. Return

Ruby stared at Pyrrha, uncomprehending. The woman she had once known as her girlfriend was more or less beyond recognition aside from her hair and eyes. Her skin was a deathly white, almost as white as Salem's, and scars from countless battles covered every visible inch of it, including a burn scar over one eye. Rather than her previous showy armour, Pyrrha wore a leather cuirass, heavy work trousers, boots, and a long black cloak. She was gazing back resolutely, her gaze never leaving Ruby's silver eyes despite how much the woman had grown in the past six years.

The silence in the room was heavy; neither was quite sure what to say, as any words that left their mouths would feel weak, insincere. The wind outside stirred the trees, and the rustle of leaves was the only thing that could be heard.

At last, finding her voice, Ruby croaked, "I—I should call Jaune…"

"He already knows." Pyrrha's voice was low, gravelly, a far cry from how smooth and melodic it had been previously. "I visited him first."

Standing up and drawing herself up to her full height, Pyrrha's scarred, discoloured lips curved into a faint smile. "It's good to see you again, Ruby," she said quietly.

"I…" Ruby didn't have a response. How did one respond to their thought-to-be-dead lover showing up in their living room after six years? She wasn't quite sure there was a precedent to follow here. "I… you're… Pyrrha… what happened?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "A lot. Things that..." She trailed off, seemingly catching her words on some memory or another. Her hand parted the folds of her cloak, reaching up, hesitating midair before finding Ruby's cheek. The shorter woman flinched, but didn't move away. The touch was exactly as she remembered; gentle, careful, loving. "You've… become even more beautiful, somehow. You're so full of surprises, Ruby."

Ruby was locked in place as Pyrrha gave her a sad smile. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I never meant to leave you behind. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I figured I would at least say it."

Her mind raced furiously. Pyrrha's explanation… well, wasn't. Ruby couldn't fathom what it would have taken for Pyrrha to go from… what had happened to her to what she was now. She didn't detect a single trace of Aura from the woman, which was possibly the most concerning part of it all.

Indeed, looking over Pyrrha's form again, Ruby was acutely aware that no one who had an Aura would have sustained the absurd amount of scars Pyrrha had. Whatever had brought her back had taken part of her, quite literally. Her face spoke of pain, of anguish that Ruby somehow doubted even she herself, after everything she'd been put through, could rival.

"You live alone," Pyrrha said, after another silence. It was a statement, not a question. Ruby nodded once. "I figured that you and Weiss would eventually… in my absence…"

"We couldn't," Ruby murmured, eyes downcast. "I… we tried… I could never get over you."

Pyrrha sighed as her hand fell back to her side, closing her eyes. "Yet more pain I've caused you, it seems. I'm sor-"

"I don't blame you!" blurted the shorter Huntress, taking a step forward. Pyrrha's eyes shot open, and she took a step back in surprise. Ruby's face flushed as she realized she'd instinctively grabbed hold of Pyrrha's hand, but couldn't bring herself to let it go. "I could never… it wasn't your fault. Cinder… and Salem… They're the ones to blame."

A lump appeared in Pyrrha's cheek, and a small, almost imperceptible smile graced her features. "Maybe," she said, nodding. "And you, of course, defeated them. I always knew you could."

Ruby blinked, her confusion only intensifying at Pyrrha's words and their implications. "You… knew?"

"After I was… well," Pyrrha paused, undoing one of the straps on her cuirass enough to show a portion of her chest, on which a large black mark was visible. Ruby's throat tightened as she realized the source of the wound. "...After _this,_ I was sent to Salem's fortress. Dr. Watts quite enjoyed my presence. I was experimented on ruthlessly. For three years, as you fought your way through Remnant to _her_ lair, I fought to stay alive on his operating table. Every bit of my humanity was stripped from me. I wasn't allowed to wear clothes, or to speak. When he didn't return, I was eventually freed by one of the other various subjects he'd kept, but only after the man had removed his own hand to get out of his cell. He had starved himself, refusing his meals simply to fit through the bars. I never learned his name…" Pyrrha shook her head. "And I made my escape, through the hellscape of Salem's Mire. I lived on the coast for a year, hunting Grimm and local wildlife to survive, before a passing merchant ship noticed my fire and allowed me passage."

"But… that doesn't make sense," Ruby whispered. "If what you're saying is true, then why didn't you find me sooner? You've had two years…"

Pyrrha inhaled sharply at the bluntness of the question, having forgotten how direct Ruby could be when she wanted to know something. "Ruby… I was afraid."

"Afraid?" persisted the smaller woman. "Afraid of what?"

"Look at me!" Pyrrha cried, stepping back and wrenching her hand from Ruby's grasp and gesturing at her body. "I've got no Aura, no Semblance, and my body… I'm a monster, Ruby! I don't even have a soul anymore! I'm… I…"

There it was. The first sign of weakness Ruby had seen since she'd laid her eyes on her this evening. Pyrrha's knees trembled, then finally gave way as the older woman collapsed the floor in a heap and began to sob. "I'm so sorry…" she cried, hands flat against the floor to hold herself up. "I just… I was so afraid… so afraid of what you'd think of what I've become…"

Ruby stared at the miserable bundle of pale skin and dark clothing on the floor for a few seconds, mind blank, before she regained her senses and dove down after the woman.

Kneeling in front of her, her hands found Pyrrha's cheeks, tilting the woman's head up to look at her.

Pyrrha didn't have any time to speak before warm, familiar lips met her own. Tears continued to slide down her marred cheeks as the kiss went on. Her body wouldn't respond to any command she gave it. She wanted to rejoice, to wrap her arms around the woman in return and kiss her into oblivion. Instead, she simply sat there, letting her eyes fall shut as sobs wracked her frame and Ruby kissed her over and over, whispering, "I forgive you," between each one.

"I missed you…" Ruby breathed, as she pulled away at last, resting her forehead against Pyrrha's. "I don't care about your looks, your scars…" Her thumb traced over Pyrrha's cheek, rubbing circles in it as her other hand took hers again and squeezed it. "What I do care about is… you're back, Pyrrha. And this… whatever _this_ is…" She stroked a gentle finger over one of the scars on Pyrrha's face, a particularly ugly one on her chin. "We'll fix it. Whatever it takes… We'll restore your Aura, or whatever it is that's wrong, and you'll be… You'll be…"

Ruby could no longer speak, she found; Pyrrha was hugging her far too tightly for her to breathe, much less enunciate anything. Making a few choking gasps to emphasise her position, Pyrrha squeaked out an "I'm sorry!" and released her, falling back onto her rump. The two stared at each other for a few moments, before a soft giggle escaped Ruby's lips, followed by Pyrrha's, and soon, the room erupted in peals of laughter. The situation itself wasn't comedic, but it was enough. Enough for years of sadness, anxiety, and loss to be relieved in a single moment, as they laughed until they cried, until they were wheezing for breath, holding onto one another just as they had while at Beacon, so long ago.

At last, they stopped, lying side by side on the hard wooden floor of Ruby's modest living room.

"I have to admit," Pyrrha said, gaze fixed on the ceiling. "I… I thought you would reject me. Cast me out. Tell me to leave and never come back." She raised her hands up, flexing them in front of her. No matter how many times she saw it, she never grew used to the deathly paleness of her skin now, nor how easily it was marred.

"I couldn't, even if I wanted to," Ruby replied, taking one of said hands and pressing a kiss to its back. "You may have changed… may look different, but you're still you. Nothing can change that."

Reaching over, she teased a few strands of vivid crimson hair through her fingers. "I just… I need you to promise me something."

"What?" Pyrrha sat up, a fearful look on her face as Ruby did the same. Their eyes met, apprehensive green meeting serious silver. Ruby leaned in until their lips were almost touching again, and each of her next words was almost felt, rather than heard.

"Don't ever," she whispered, never once drifting from Pyrrha's eyes. "Leave me again."

Pyrrha's eyes searched Ruby's, looking for any deeper meaning to that statement, waiting for any additional requests the woman might have. When none were forthcoming, a smile broke out over her weathered face, and she closed her eyes.

"I'll have to speak with my agent," she murmured, echoing a line she'd used to use on Ruby all the time when Ruby would ask her out on dates. "But I'm sure that can be arranged."

"Good." Ruby moved forward, kissing her once more, and Pyrrha's world melted away into a miasma of soft lips and the scent of strawberry, a feeling she'd not known for six years and that she'd never expected to know again.

She was home.


	7. Like a Magnet

**A/N (before the actual Author's A/N): Heya, everyone, TLoZTFH here. I've been super busy lately, and writing has just... run away from me. However, my good friend IMayFallAgain has graciously allowed me to post a few stories they've written for r/RWBY's weekly Writing Prompt Wednesday threads! If you don't know about it, it's a weekly challenge with given prompts where users respond in the comments. It's pretty cool, even though I rarely get the opportunity to do it myself...**

 **Anyway, we both really hope you enjoy! I didn't do any of the work here, but I should be back to posting my own stuff before you know it! This, and the following five chapters were all written by IMayFallAgain, so if you enjoy their work, please, go check them out!**

* * *

 **A/N: Hello, this is a break from your regularly (un)scheduled Cereal Bowl coming from IMayFallAgain. The lovely TLoZTFH has decided to grace me with the opportunity to post several of my own M &C stories in some sort of strange collaboration to this fic. All these were inspired by prompts which will be placed at the top of the chapter. Thank you TLoZTFH for this opportunity, and for the wonderful gift of your presence. I hope I did you proud.**

 **The villain has accidentally drunk a love potion that gave them a serious crush on the hero. Desperate to maintain their dignity, they do their best to hide it. This is much harder than they originally anticipated.**

* * *

"Stop right there, Magneto!" Ruby yelled as she rematerialized from a cloud of rose petals, landing in a run as she leaped across the rooftops. Sometimes not being able to fly was a bit of a pain when your arch nemesis was able to. Stumbling a bit on the edge of the roof, Ruby sped forward in a torpedo of petals once more, trying to keep pace with the red supervillain who was floating away on a metal plate.

This chase was starting to get tiring, especially after Ruby had to break off to stop two robberies, save a cat from a tree, walk an old lady across the road, and prevent a demon from being summoned. Fortunately, each time Magneto didn't seem to end up very far away, though it did make Ruby slightly worried that there was a trap lying in wait. Even the Red Flash's stamina had its limits, and she was starting to feel the burn as she finally neared the villain.

Frankly it was quite bizarre to see Magneto of all villains fleeing from her, especially considering how Ruby was widely regarded, by supervillains and superheroes alike, to be a real softie when it came to dishing out justice. Though at this point Ruby wouldn't have been surprised if Magneto suddenly spun around to smack her with a car or a street lamp or a building or a tentacle of molten metal tearing out of the ground, and at this point she was slightly concerned she wouldn't even be able to evade one while fatigued.

Magneto's actions were even stranger considering how Ruby and Pyrrha had known of each other's real names and even some things about the other's actual life following Ruby's attempts to visit her arch nemesis in prison so she wouldn't get too bored. After all, there was nothing like a quick game of tag with superspeed and sharp objects with your favourite and best enemy to take the edge of the boredom off. And Ruby had even put in a good word to the hero who had caught Magneto, one Sun Wukong, to try and avoid Pyrrha being put in prison again in exchange for a promise to avoid any and all civilian casualties. Ruby had even seen Pyrrha helping out some people trapped in their car following an earthquake while she was zipping around to assess the damage.

At this point, Ruby had started to lag behind Pyrrha due to exhaustion, using her power for hours straight had the tendency to do that to her. So she called in backup. "Jaune?" Ruby asked, slightly out of breath as she held one hand up to her red mask, pressing lightly against her ear. There were a few seconds of silence while Ruby slowed down to a jog before stopping, bending over while she checked the map system on the back of her forearm. Hopefully he was nearby.

"Receiving you, Red Flash," The voice came through crisp on the speakers, and Ruby glanced at the map which updated with Jaune's position. Thankfully it was within a few blocks.

Smiling wryly, Ruby went off on a tangent. "You're near civilians, aren't you? Or perhaps a villain."

"Confirmed, Red Flash." He sounded resigned.

Ruby smirked, she knew how much he despised using codenames. "Well, _Angel_ , I'm after Magneto but running out of steam. Think you can give me a boost?" She asked, jogging along the rooftops with light footfalls towards where she was picking up Jaune's location. A gap between two blocks neared and Ruby drew a deep breath before jumping over the gap and leaving a trail of petals behind her. Clean-up was sometimes a bit of a pain after saving the city, but Ruby always put up with it, just one more way of helping the people.

"I'm just wrapping something up now." Ruby heard a bit of a kerfuffle on his end of the call, either he was breaking up a brawl or he was dealing with one of the many supervillains. "Should be good to go in a sec. Where do you want me?"

"On the corner of Miles Street and Marigold Street, by the pizzeria named after Ren," Ruby said as she hopped one more gap across an alley to get to the rendezvous point.

"I'll see you there." Ruby heard him almost go to hang up, but then he paused. "Why exactly do you need a boost?"

"Magneto's out and about causing trouble." Almost there.

"Really?" Jaune asked, sounding doubtful. "I thought she stopped disturbing the peace."

Ruby came at last upon Miles Street and began to run to the edge. "Evidently not. I really do hope you're standing in the usual spot by the bin, otherwise this may be painful."

"Of course."

Ruby sped towards the edge and took a leap of faith, falling down towards the ground where she spotted Jaune waiting for her. He was looking right at her with a slightly alarmed expression, or at least it looked like one considering how his eyes were covered with a white mask and his head by a white hood. Even Ruby found his costume a little bit too 'boyscouty', and then there were the concerns with keeping it clean. As she fell closer, Ruby noticed one of the supervillains handcuffed to Jaune and looking rather like a grumpy cat while sitting on the top of the bin, legs swinging.

Then Ruby felt Jaune's power wash over her and suddenly all the aches and pains melted away and her power kicked back into overdrive. "Thanks, Angel!" She shouted, flying up into the sky with a waterfall of rose petals cascading down around her, some of the pedestrians whooping and waving at the display. But in her haste, she failed to catch Jaune's warning shout, having closed the communication channel as she had flown into the sky.

Coalescing, Ruby slammed into something squishy and abruptly slowed down.

Then she fell. Fast.

Dazed, Ruby felt the spinning go to her head and the world turned the wrong way. Suddenly she was no longer falling and was instead being hoisted up by her ankle, being gently lifted up into the sky while the people on the ground became smaller and smaller. Ruby looked down (up?) at her saviour, to see the tell-tale red cape of Magneto flowing in the wind.

Uh oh.

Blushing, Ruby pushed her skirt down (up?), starting to question her choice in combat clothing. Luckily for her, Pyrrha appeared to be deliberately avoiding even catching a glimpse of her, staring off into the middle distance as they were brought to the top of a skyscraper by the metal beneath her feet. Ruby felt the roof approach her as Pyrrha slowed their descent, eventually just gently resting Ruby onto her back on the concrete.

Ruby smiled happily at her arch nemesis, forgetting completely that she was wearing a full face mask and ignoring the fact that Magneto was staring steadfastly at the horizon. Coming to her senses, Ruby slipped the red mask off and collapsed it to slip it onto her belt next to her Grimm-spray. She hopped up to her feet in a blur and zipped around to be within Pyrrha's view, Magneto not even flinching as the hero appeared between her and the setting sun.

Pyrrha let out a small smile as she noticed how the sun appeared to give Ruby a halo of golden light, reaching out with one hand to brush a small loose bit of red-tipped hair behind an ear until she caught herself and turned away abruptly. "Pyrrha, are you okay?" She tried to push the voice out of her head, she really did, but it was impossible to tune out that voice. If only she could hear it again. "Hello?" Like the perfect melody. Ruby's head popped back into view, and Pyrrha couldn't help but turn to look at her, spotting the concerned silver eyes accompanied by lips so kind and so soft that she wanted to just taste them.

No!

What was happening with her? Why was she so distracted? Pyrrha gulped down her urges and stepped away from the Red Flash, immediately wishing that she hadn't or that she could just close that gap again. Opening her mouth to speak, no words came and she instead focused on just how beautiful Ruby looked in the fading, golden light.

Ruby approached Pyrrha slowly, appraising her every movement for some sign of harm. For some sign of anything really. With a lopsided grin, Ruby reached out her arms to place her hands gently onto Pyrrha's own, holding them loosely and lifting them up. "Pyrrha~" Ruby sang with a light-hearted smirk. "Are you... going to do anything?" Feeling the biting wind drying out her lips, Ruby licked them, watching as Pyrrha stared blankly at her before licking her own lips. "What's going on, Pyrrha? You know you can trust me." Ruby looked off to the side for a moment before continuing. "Even with the illegal stuff."

"I-" Pyrrha's normally calm and collected voice broke down into mumbles as she spoke to her feet, Ruby smiling at her reassuringly and nodding encouragingly.

What was Ruby doing to her? Pyrrha tore her gaze away from the teasingly close lips and stared instead at the ground. Nothing bad had ever come from staring at the ground. Unfortunately, the ground was behind the much more interesting foreground of Ruby's hands covering hers, and Pyrrha fought down a blush as she tried to speak once more. "I accidentally-" And failed once more, trailing off as she felt Ruby's hands shift against hers and the warmth spread across to combat the chilling wind. Pyrrha wanted it to happen more. To feel Ruby's hands in hers every day.

She was an infamous supervillain for crying out loud! How could she be this messed up?

"I accidentally got dosed by chemicals!" She shouted suddenly, trying to get it all out at once before she could stop herself.

"What did it do?" Ruby's voice came, full of earnest, and Pyrrha gazed numbly into silver eyes, her lips curling softly upwards.

Hearing that voice, how could Pyrrha have told anything but the truth?

"It lowers my inhibitions. Makes me act on things I usually wouldn't," She looked over at the sunset, missing Ruby's smile the second it was out of sight.

"Such as?" Ruby gently prompted, stepping nearer to Pyrrha in an effort to draw her attention back from the sunset.

Pyrrha unleashed her powers on an impulse, Ruby letting out an adorable squeak as two poles of metal wrapped around her and drew her into Pyrrha's body. For a second, Pyrrha savoured the surprised look on Ruby's face and the warm breath on her neck before leaning in and closing her eyes. "Like this," She whispered, feeling her lips brush against Ruby's.

Who needed a sunset?


	8. Operation Lovebird

**Two people decide to prank everyone at work/school/wherever by pretending to date. But, it's been a few weeks of "Operation Lovebird" and the hugging and kissing and hand holding starts to take place even when no one else is around to be tricked…**

* * *

 ****  
It was simple at first; holding hands here, a peck on the cheek there. Soon they had everybody fooled, from Yang to even Miss Goodwitch. Everybody believed that they were going out. Then why did Pyrrha feel like this prank had gone off the rails?

It had been a rousing success, better than all the pranks before it and beyond even the scope of Ren and Nora's capabilities. Even now, as Pyrrha sat at the table with Ruby held in her arms, she could hear the topic of conversation shift to their relationship. This was all just a farce, something to surprise their friends with once they revealed their true purpose. So why did Pyrrha not want it to end?

Why did she linger when hugging Ruby so she didn't have to let go so soon? How come even when they were alone, Pyrrha didn't want to do anything else but hold her and smile? Why was it that every night, Pyrrha wished Ruby was there with her?

She and Ruby had always been friends, since the moment they'd met they had gotten along amazingly. They had even been mistaken several times by strangers to have been already dating, Sun and Neptune among those who had been confused. Thus, as the prank war had gradually been getting out of hand, it was a simple progression that they would try to up the scale of their relationship to trick the others. It hadn't been hard to escalate their relationship enough to convince their friends of the illusion that they were dating. Spending more time together, touching more, a few half-truths, and the occasional kiss, it had almost felt natural.

Pyrrha's arms closed around Ruby even tighter as she stared off at the far-off wall and reminisced, breathing in Ruby's hair with a half-concealed smile resting against soft black hair. Pyrrha remembered the first time they kissed. Ruby had been so nervous, wringing her hands with glowing red cheeks. Pyrrha had thought that it was because it was her first kiss or because they had an audience to perform for, but now she wasn't so sure. Ruby had always been confident when the prank called for acting, and the way she fumbled her words adorably afterwards drew out the biggest smirk from Pyrrha, soon leaning in for another kiss. She hadn't known then why she had gone for the second kiss, but now she was starting to guess.

Pyrrha was brought back to the real world when Ruby turned around in her lap to place two arms on either side of her neck, drawing her in close to place their foreheads together. "You've been quiet," Ruby whispered, silver eyes staring straight into Pyrrha and trapping her there in that moment.

With a smile, Pyrrha pushed forward and brushed their noses together, amusement glinting in her eyes as Ruby let out a small giggle. "What need do I have for words when I have you?" Pyrrha asked, kissing Ruby gently on the lips before pulling away to look into her eyes.

Ruby let out a small laugh before responding, "Stop that! You'll make my mouth hurt from smiling too much!"

So Pyrrha leaned in to kiss it better. As she pulled away, she could vaguely sense that all their friends had left them to their own devices, the table empty and clear. But perhaps they had already been gone for a while. It didn't really matter to her. All that mattered was her and Ruby, at this table, on this day, together.

With one more kiss, Pyrrha held Ruby close against her chest and breathed her warm words into Ruby's ear. "I love you, Ruby."

Pyrrha delighted at how her girlfriend shuddered, feeling Ruby swallow as she tried to remain in Pyrrha's embrace. She barely caught the whisper against her neck as she held Ruby close. "I love you too, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha had been with Ruby before so many times, but she felt so wonderful sitting there with Ruby, intertwined and smiling, like this was the first time in her life that a veil was lifted from her mind and she could finally think clearly. Sometimes Pyrrha wished that moments of time could stretch on forever. That she could capture a fragment of the world to always be how it was in that one perfect instant. That they could just keep sitting there, so happy and so in love, forever.

But it was okay that she couldn't. It was fine. Because if she did, then she would never get to experience the next moment with Ruby she wished she could freeze in time. Or the next. Or all the ones following it.

Maybe one day their time together would run its course. Maybe one day all they'll have of each other is memories. But she had better make them good ones. Because she would never forget them.

Not one moment.


	9. Little Fox

**A/N: I've always wanted to do this one, just never had the right idea.**

 **It's a freezing day, snow striking the windows. Your heater has just given out when you feel a tiny, warm, bundle of something land on your chest. As the warmth spreads over you, you open your eyes to find a small red fox. She looks at you, sniffs, and says "I'll keep you warm."**

* * *

Ruby sat at the window lazily, watching the individual snowflakes dance in the wind until they joined the white carpet stretching out all over Patch. She curled up into a ball and swathed her red cape around her legs, snuggling up into herself as she felt the warmth radiating from the nearby heater combat the biting cold weather. Feeling drowsiness seep from the warmth into the deepest recesses of her bones, Ruby failed to stifle a yawn, the unending patterns of swirling snow dulling her mind and lulling her into a trance.

The sound of sputtering brought Ruby back to her senses and she pulled back from the window, where the snow had nearly reached up to the bottom of the windowsill. Unfurling her cloak from around her body, Ruby ran over to the heater in the corner, crouching down to inspect it closer. Out of fire Dust. Ruby nearly punched the heater in frustration, hopping up and running over to the door before flinching back from the ice-cold handle. Cautiously, she reached out to poke the metal once more, feeling the bone-chilling cold pierce through her body heat and sending a shiver up her spine. Taiyang and Yang had gone down to the nearby town to restock on fire Dust for the coming winter, and wouldn't return until at least sunrise.

Ruby curled up beside the cooling down heater and enveloped herself within her cape once more, settling in for a long and cold night. Somehow, her eyelids grew heavy despite the cold and Ruby slowly closed her eyes to the frozen world, letting sleep catch her with its welcoming embrace.

She was running from a great big Grimm, a massive Beowolf with spikes of ice protruding from its back and chilling breath visible on the air. Every second it was gaining on her and slowly as she ran the ice began to take over her body, a sheen of frost overtaking her cape as it billowed out behind her. Her movements now sluggish, Ruby reached back for Crescent Rose, the cold steel burning her fingers and forcing her to drop it as she ran. Then out from the fog ahead, another chilled Beowolf came pounding, rushing straight for her while the other still nipped at her heels. Ruby slowed to a stop, falling forward down onto the snow and feeling even more pile up onto her, trapping her in a frozen wasteland.

Ruby's eyes slowly inched open, the ice on her eyelashes breaking as she looked around the room. Her breath was visible in the air, a cloud of white warmth escaping into the cold while she shivered. The dim blue light of the full moon illuminated the room, a faint glow given to everything. The window was half covered with snow, and Ruby could barely see the tops of tree branches scratching the deep blue sky through the gap. Frost had spread outward from the window, leaving a small layer of ice on every surface, and Ruby shook out her cloak to let the ice shatter and fall from her body.

Opening the cape was a mistake.

The heat rushed out of the small air pocket she had been holding close to the chest as she had slept, and Ruby's teeth chattered while her hands shook as she tried to wrap the cloak around herself before she collapsed. Ruby rolled over onto her back as she regarded the ceiling with tired, lidded eyes, following each swirl of the wooden beams above her and tracing shapes that her delirious mind came up with.

Something pressed against her side and she ignored it, instead focusing on the fascinating panels above her. The weight shifted over to her chest and Ruby tried to lift her head off the floorboards to look at it but failed, resigning herself to the mystery as her head smacked back to the ground. Slowly, a pulsating warmth radiated through her body, and Ruby felt feeling return to her chest and spread to the rest of her body. Waves of fire rushed through her veins and the biting cold died down, the amazing feeling of heat returning to her limbs and her mind. Ruby lifted her head up off the floorboards to look down at her chest, and for a moment she wondered if she was still dreaming.

There on her chest, Ruby saw a small, red fox curled up into a small bundle with its shining emerald eyes staring right at her face. The eyes shone with unnatural intelligence and the fox's bright red fur glowed for a moment as another wave of relaxing heat resonated through Ruby. The fox sniffed and turned its nose up at Ruby, opening its mouth and saying, "I'll keep you warm."

Ruby's mind froze as the gears slowly clicked. "What?" Her tongue felt heavy and her word sluggish, but she got it out into the open air as the fox watched her carefully.

"Sleep now," The fox said, resting its snout down onto Ruby's chest and snorting out a breath of warm air into her face that pushed it down to the ground. Ruby felt her eyelids turn gradually to lead as the fox snuggled in closer to her body and more warmth flowed through her in waves. "I'll keep you safe." And Ruby's eyes slid closed.

Ruby dreamed that she was back at Beacon, in her old dorm room, before it had been destroyed in the Fall. She was sitting on Weiss' bed and just looking down at her hands, turning them over to regard both sides. The dorm door clicked open quietly and Ruby glanced over to it, her mind spluttering as her mouth fell open slightly to dangle limply.

It had been nearly a month since Ruby had last dreamed of Pyrrha, and her dad had said that was normal, that slowly over time the people you lost take up less and less of your thoughts. But Ruby had never wanted to stop dreaming of Pyrrha. The one place they could be together again. And she had always awoken with a tear stained face and a sad smile.

Pyrrha gracefully strode over to eliminate the distance between them and sat beside her, reaching out with one hand to gently close her mouth. Tears sprung to Ruby's eyes as she looked into Pyrrha's emerald eyes once more. "How-?"

Pyrrha raised one hand and interrupted her, placing one finger against her lips and shushing her. "It doesn't matter. I'm here now." Ruby fell into Pyrrha's shoulder sobbing and felt warm arms envelop her and hold her tight. "I'm here for you."

Ruby's eyes fluttered open to the sun rays falling onto her face, one arm raising automatically to block the sun from piercing her eyes. Then she bolted upright to look around the room, not a single sign of snow or ice anywhere.

And the small red fox with emerald eyes was nowhere to be found.

Taiyang and Yang returned to find Ruby sitting numbly in a room, staring down at her hands with her back against a wall. After being assured that she was fine, the two left the room to store the food and Dust they had returned with. Ruby simply remained still, looking at nothing and holding her red cloak tight to her chest, breathing in a distinctly foreign scent. A smile spread across her face as a solitary tear rolled down her cheek.

"Thank you."


	10. My Guardian Angel

**You are a guardian angel, tasked with watching over one random child since their birth. As the person you protect starts to grow, you fall more and more in love with them, but they are unable to hear or see you. You must endure watching them get married and have kids, and it hurts. A lot.**

* * *

Some days the love and the pride washed out the pain and just left a dull ache. This was not one of those days.

Ruby floated down from the ceiling where she had been sulking for the past hour, and she righted herself slowly as her feet graced the floor. Usually she wouldn't even bother with touching the ground, simply gliding over it elegantly with outstretched wings. Today she stood still in the crowd with lead feet. None of them could see her. Nobody could see her.

She was always alone.

 _Almost_ always alone.

The doors opened and Ruby's heart began to beat faster in anxiety as she waited, watching all of the assembled people turn as one and face the doors. She felt nervousness flow through her veins and her breathing quickened. For a moment, Ruby held her breath, placating her nerves and sending waves of cold calm through her veins. Then _she_ walked through the doors.

Ruby felt her smile widen against her will as she saw Pyrrha walk through the double doors in her beautiful white dress, the very same one Ruby had subtly guided her to choose. Her flowing red hair was cascading down her back, curling at the ends and bouncing with each step she took. Ruby allowed her calm to break, feeling exhilaration and love pounding through her heart as Pyrrha approached her with a beaming smile. Ruby's breath caught in her throat as Pyrrha passed right through her to stand beside the grinning groom.

Pyrrha couldn't always see her. At least, Ruby didn't think she could. But perhaps she could sense her, that familiar feeling of compassion that pursued her everywhere. Every time Pyrrha had been sad or angry or frustrated, Ruby had been there for her. When her mother had died bedridden and sick, Ruby had been there for her. From the very beginning of her life, Ruby had always been hovering nearby, a shining beacon of kindness in the world. Sometimes Ruby would catch Pyrrha staring at her, seeing nothing, or speaking to her when alone, getting no response.

But for the first time in decades, Pyrrha didn't need her anymore. She could live on her own, make the right decisions, reign in negativity, and bring joy to all around her. And it stung. Ruby would never wish that Pyrrha be dependent on her, she had always dreamed of the day that Pyrrha wouldn't need her anymore. The day that Pyrrha was whole. But she didn't want her role to end in Pyrrha's life. She didn't want to move on and find a new life to protect. She didn't want to be anyone's guardian angel but Pyrrha's.

The sad smile playing on her lips and the silent tears that traced down her face to patter soundlessly to the ground revealed her emotions to nought but the sky and the floor, Ruby silently witnessing the ceremony continue. Her eyes drifted over to Pyrrha as she continued to send calming and loving waves through their link, vaguely wondering who she would even be without Pyrrha. She didn't want to think about it, but one day she would have to face the inevitable.

One day, Ruby would be standing by Pyrrha's grave, unaged and hollow. One day, the world would continue spinning as Ruby's stopped. One day, Pyrrha would be faded photographs in her mind, living on only as fragments within her. One day, Ruby would watch Pyrrha die and she would break into a thousand pieces, only to continue living in agony. Alone forever.

There was no end for Ruby. There was an end for Pyrrha. She couldn't protect that little girl forever. But she would try.

Ruby could remember that small, fragile baby that looked around with curious emerald eyes. That defiant girl who trained and studied as hard as she could to earn the life she wanted. That sweet and caring young woman who wanted nothing but the best for everyone and had enough love in her heart to spare for anyone who needed it. Almost anyone.

Closing her eyes to the ceremony as Pyrrha smiled and leaned over to kiss her husband, Ruby wondered if this had always been inevitable. She had always been attuned to Pyrrha, feeling how she felt and understanding her completely and totally. Perhaps that was the idea. Perhaps her love was always going to be for Pyrrha.

Opening her eyes, Ruby's heart swelled with pride and love as droplets of joy and sadness dripped from silver pools. Ruby couldn't wish for a better or more rewarding life than to guard Pyrrha and love her always and forever. A full smile gradually took over her lips as she simply watched Pyrrha laugh and smile, stepping backwards and out of Pyrrha's life.

* * *

Ruby remained distant, watching without interfering. A silent guardian looking over Pyrrha's life and letting it proceed accordingly. Slowly the scars healed as Ruby took to being a mere observer, feeling her link with Pyrrha fade over time. She was no longer needed.

Ruby gazed on as Pyrrha moved into a new house and life moved on. Ruby witnessed as Pyrrha changed jobs and travelled the world. Ruby watched as Pyrrha slowly grew older, feeling an old ache form a solid core in her chest, splinters radiating out into her mind and her soul.

Then, one day and all too soon, Ruby stood by Pyrrha's hospital bed and stared at the life signs feebly beeping on the monitors. She held her breath, and wished and prayed while Pyrrha's breaths slowed and tears dripped down past a smile stubbornly trying to remain happy. Ruby wept openly with Pyrrha's husband as they stood together, trying to hold and comfort her. Kindly emerald eyes shone with tears and weak words fell from pale lips while Ruby dropped to her knees. It felt like she was dying. And she wished that she was. That she could take Pyrrha's place.

Then slowly, with Ruby watching, Pyrrha's heart stopped.

And the entire world broke.

* * *

One day, Ruby would be standing by Pyrrha's grave, unaged and hollow. One day, the world would continue spinning as Ruby's stopped. One day, Pyrrha would be faded photographs in her mind, living on only as fragments within her. One day, Ruby would watch Pyrrha die and she would break into a thousand pieces, only to continue living in agony. Alone forever.

This was not that day.

Ruby's wings unfurled for the first time in many years, dust and feathers falling from them as a white glow surrounded her. Lifting off from the ground with golden tears descending to the tiles below her, Ruby vanished into thin air.

The universe warped around her as she pierced through, a lance of bright light shining through the unending darkness. Ruby shuddered and stopped as a form suddenly appeared before her, an old man with an intelligent twinkle in his eyes stepping forth with a mug in hand and a cane in the other. Collapsing at his feet, Ruby placed her hands above her head and begged, being cut off before she got a single word out into the open.

"It has been some time, Ruby," He began with an even voice. "I believe your final assignment ended some time ago. It's time for you to return to us, Ruby."

"Please!" Ruby shouted, her unused voice breaking with sobs. "Please save her!"

Ozpin looked down upon her kindly and tilted his head. "Do you truly believe that I can save her?"

Ruby's red veined eyes met Ozpin's as she let fall all the tears she had held in to spare the world some grief. "Yes! I have to!"

"How quixotic of you," Ozpin observed, regarding the angel over the rim of his mug while he took a long sip. "I do not exist to simply give out miracles, Ruby."

"I know! I know! But please!" Ruby pleaded, her wings dulling as feathers drooped and spun down through the darkness into nothingness. "Please," She sobbed, her chin falling down to her chest.

"I bring balance, Ruby," He explained, reaching out with one hand to bring her head up to face him. "There must be a price for this action."

"I don't care!" Ruby shouted immediately. "I don't care what happens! Just save her!"

Ozpin let out a knowledgeable smile, sadness tinging the corners of his eyes. "Then you will be placed on a new assignment. A new person to guard and protect for their entire life."

She would never see Pyrrha again. But that didn't matter as long as Pyrrha lived.

"Anyone, anywhere, any place, any time. Just save her." Ruby let her head fall to her chest, resigned to her choice.

"Very well." Ozpin smiled down at her. "It will be as you wish."

He waved his cane through the nothingness and ripples emanated out from it, radiating through Ruby's body and she felt her link to Pyrrha shrivel and die. Ruby felt hollow inside. Like she was made of glass and she would shatter just as fast.

"I believe you have an assignment to get to," Ozpin commented idly before he turned on his heel and stepped off into the darkness and faded from sight.

Ruby let out one final secret to the nothing, one she had held so tight it had burned. "I love you, Pyrrha." Then she let her body go limp and felt herself be raised up into the dark as her wings began to glow once more.

* * *

Ruby appeared at Pyrrha's side and she hesitated, waiting for a sign that she would have to move on. Then, with a flicker, Pyrrha's life signs burst back onto the monitors and her chest rose and fell again, eyes flitting open and staring straight at Ruby with a smile. Ruby watched with a lump in her throat as Pyrrha called out to her husband and they both began to smile and cry together. Ruby wanted to move towards her, to reach out and touch her one last time.

But her soul was being drawn in another direction.

To someone else.

The doors opened and a nurse came through holding a small bundle, and Ruby instinctively floated over eagerly to peer down into it. Small wails were being emitted from the tiny pink girl wrapped in blankets and as Ruby looked at curious emerald eyes, the crying stopped.

Ruby felt her soul intertwine with the baby girl and a link began to form within her heart, love already spilling over through the connection to the bundle of life.

Ruby smiled.


	11. Assassin

**In a world where people can only be killed by those they truly love, you are an assassin.**

* * *

"The job was simple!"

Ruby turned away from Torchwick and pretended to wipe spit off her cheek. He spun about and paced to and fro before her, holding his cane in one hand like a sword.

"All you had to do was get inside her heart and rip it apart!" Torchwick swung his cane at a nearby crate, the weapon carving into the wood and getting caught for a moment before he could free it, splinters firing out of the crate when he finally drew Melodic Cudgel free. "One stupid celebrity! That was it!"

Ruby bit down on her bottom lip, holding in the retort she wanted to throw in his face. Her hands behind her back tightened and started to leave red marks around her wrists where she was gripping them.

"But no! You just had to get all caught up in feelings!" Roman sneered, leaning uncomfortably close to her face.

Teeth grinding, Ruby kept her mouth shut, simply allowing a glare through to direct at Torchwick. Roman sighed and took a step back, bringing his cigar to his lips to inhale it before breathing a puff of smoke up at the ceiling.

Slowly he seemed to calm down until he lowered the cigar to his side and spoke through smoke-stained teeth. "You're a good agent, Ruby. Just stop letting all these silly emotions get into play. I'll send you your next assignment later." Roman waved her off and turned away, mind already travelling elsewhere.

Ruby bit her tongue one last time, not hard enough to draw blood but with enough pressure that she could memorise every last inch of her teeth with her tongue. She turned about abruptly and strode out of the dimly lit room, hearing Roman drop and crush his cigar into the concrete with his cane. Ruby paused outside the door as she heard some of her colleagues talking as they approached. She just wanted to be alone with her thoughts. Quickly, she slipped behind a nearby shipping container and waited to allow them to pass by.

"I haven't got a mission yet," The lazy voice carried over to her ears with ease. "You wanna head out for some drinks?"

"Be careful what you do with that tongue, Mercury, I may end up cutting it out."

"I didn't hear a 'no'. Did you hear a 'no', Sun?" Ruby reached out with one hand to trace the peeling paint of the cargo container.

"I really don't care."

The footsteps passed by Ruby and the voices began to fall off into the sound of the waves. Swallowing a glass ball of discomfort, Ruby tried to calm down and simply listen to the sea, her fingers tracing a groove down the metal container before moving on to the next. A breeze shuffled through and Ruby could smell the salt in the air, closing her eyes as her breathing slowed. The world fell away from her as her mind went back.

* * *

Ruby sat on the hard metal bench of the bullhead, her feet resting up against a wall while she flicked through files on her scroll. She only glanced over them, ensuring that every fact had already been put to memory. Height, tall. Personality, reserved. Hair, red. Eyes, green. Location, penthouse. Security, minimal.

All she had to do was play the part of the unknowing passer-by, pretend to not know who the celebrity was, sneak her way into the target's heart, then follow that up with a knife.

Simple.

Ruby focused on the picture of her target, ignoring the beauty of the face to instead focus on memorising every single inch. Every single one deserved a spot in her memory. Her penance.

Slipping the scroll into her back pocket, Ruby stood up and stretched, letting out a long yawn. Then she freshened up, hoping to get this mission over with quickly and return to her colleagues, as insufferable as they usually were.

* * *

Ruby walked down the near empty street, bouquet of red roses in hand as the moon shone down upon her, an eerie white glow surrounding everything. She had been forced to extend her mission after her target, the famous Pyrrha Nikos, had tried to shut her out completely for nearly a week. Now here she was, walking down a moonlit street in the cold with her red hood around her shoulders and a bundle of flowers in her hand. And a knife in the other.

It had taken her longer than she had cared to admit to burrow her way into Pyrrha's heart. Usually she'd just flutter her eyes, spend some time with them, act all coy, spend a few nights over at their place, then kill them and move on. Occasionally she came across a difficult or even impossible target, usually being reassigned by Roman before bothering to crack through the cold armour of those who couldn't or wouldn't love. But this time she was confident that she would succeed.

Pyrrha had been… annoying to be around. She was always so polite and smiling, welcoming Ruby into her home and making them meals, always the picture perfect host. But slowly, as Ruby had all so innocently warmed her way into Pyrrha's heart, she began to see the real Pyrrha Nikos, the one hidden so far from Remnant that only splinters of her reached the outside.

Ruby had sat with her in a cold, dark room on a cold, dark bed, trying to rub warmth into shoulders of ice. Ruby had caught falling tears and tried to thaw a stone heart, enveloping Pyrrha with her precious cloak. Ruby had held her, uncaring of time or space and just remained there, existing to comfort Pyrrha. And then, slowly, oh so slowly, the unthinkable happened.

Pyrrha became more than just another target.

Ruby could never quite pinpoint the moment the transition had happened. Usually she was always so careful to never let anyone in. To never allow even a split second of weakness. Remnant was cold, and any weakness was met with brutal force. She simply had to keep ahead of the curve. But now? She was doomed. She had never known Roman to keep an assassin once they had faltered. It didn't matter now when she had begun to allow Pyrrha into her heart, because she was going to fix it.

Permanently.

Ruby strode through the reception area with careful grace, welcomed with open arms by security who had seen her enough to no longer be suspicious. Of course, once the deed was done she'd have to be rotated to another city, but Roman would see to that, as he always did following the death of a high profile target. And any news of her role in events would soon be memory alone once Penny had removed any trace or record online. And memory could always be trusted to fade.

The elevator ride up was too slow for Ruby's taste, giving her ample time to prepare herself for the deed ahead. She was almost certain that Pyrrha had fallen for her, and for only the briefest of moments she allowed her heart to flutter. Her body didn't know what was good for her. It had never known and would never get a say in her decisions. Calming her beating heart, Ruby shook herself out of her stupor and gripped her knife behind the roses.

With a quiet 'ding', the metal doors slid open. Pyrrha would be caught flat footed. Ruby hadn't informed her that she was coming and as far as Pyrrha knew, she wouldn't be stopping by for a week, less time for news to spread. Pyrrha wouldn't be asleep. She was never asleep without Ruby there to wait and watch until emerald eyes closed in the faint light of dawn. Ruby crept through the spacious apartment overlooking all of Vale, bright, colourful lights dancing far down below. Everything was in pristine condition, from the wide, unused television, to the plumped and untouched cushions resting on the couch. Looking around the apartment, someone might get the impression that it was lived in and cared for. Ruby knew better.

Ghosting towards the bedroom and silently thankful that the door was still ajar, Ruby paused by the doorway. For a brief moment she heard nothing but the beating of her heart and her breathing rattled around her skull. Then, as her ears adjusted to the near silence, Ruby heard the sobbing. It wasn't uncommon for Pyrrha to be crying at this time of night, and her state would only aid in covering any, if any, noises Ruby made.

The door slid open quietly on well-oiled hinges, Ruby's feet not making a sound as they graced the soft carpet, each step made with practiced care. She passed the door and saw Pyrrha sitting against the other side of the bed, still weeping. The entire bed was between them and Ruby mentally cursed as she weighed her options. She could jump over the bed and alert Pyrrha instantly. She could move around the bed and come within Pyrrha's sight. Or she could throw the knife and risk failing her kill in one swift movement. Ruby was no idiot, Pyrrha was a well-trained self-defence artist and without the element of surprise there was no chance of success.

Ruby slid the knife into a hiding spot in her cloak and cleared her throat, knocking on the door behind her. Pyrrha panicked and Ruby watched as she frantically spun around and hesitated when she saw the familiar figure in the room. Ruby stepped over quickly and Pyrrha jumped to her feet, clumsily trying to conceal something behind her back. Gently, Ruby reached behind her and pried it from her hands, holding the razor on her fingers, the blade glinting dangerously in the light.

Gripping Pyrrha's wrists before moving down to her hands as she flinched, Ruby brought Pyrrha's arms into the light. Ruby's tongue turned to ash as Pyrrha's tears fell sparkling under the moon to soak into the carpet beside blood.

"I couldn't…" Her feeble voice trailed off into more sobbing, red hair falling over emerald eyes and obscuring them from Ruby.

Ruby wrapped Pyrrha into an embrace, holding her as close as physically possible. Ruby tossed the razor onto the ground in the corner, feeling sick as her fingers ran slick. Why did this bother her so much? Why couldn't she just kill Pyrrha? Ruby felt Pyrrha apply pressure against her arms and slowly released the celebrity, giving her distance.

"I can't," She whimpered, and Ruby fought the urge to hold her again. "Please, Ruby," She begged. "Please."

Ruby swallowed hard as she looked from crying eyes down to outstretched arms. Ruby felt her heart skip a beat when she saw the knife in her hands, the handle stained red. She could just reach forward and end Pyrrha's suffering, complete her mission, and move on.

Silver eyes faced pleading, tear-filled emerald.

"Please."

Ruby tossed the knife away.


	12. Promises, Promises

**A/N: This will be the last one (if these are posted in order) from me, IMayFallAgain, and I'd like to thank each and every one of you readers for sticking with me despite me not being the writer you wanted or chose. Thank you TLoZTFH for allowing me this grace, hopefully these M &C stories were all to your standards. Farewell.**

 **At age 15, you told your girlfriend you were "in love" with her and that you'd always be there when she was in need. Aphrodite heard you and made it a reality, whenever your girlfriend is in need you appear at her side. The problem is, you and the girl broke up after 3 weeks but you still appear even now... 10 years later.**

* * *

"I love you, Ruby Rose, and I promise that no matter what happens, I will be there for you. If you ever need me, anytime, anywhere, I swear to you that I will be there to help you. I promise."

Looking back on her words, Pyrrha could only imagine what myriad of thoughts were running through her head at the time to prevent her from even considering the consequences. Though, Pyrrha supposed that since she hadn't known at the time that some sort of universal entity was out to get her, she cut her past self some leeway. Still though, a massive pain in the ass.

* * *

Pyrrha hummed to herself as she danced through the kitchen, scraping together something to eat in the late hours of the day while everyone else was sleeping. She had been gliding over the tiles and giving the finishing touches to her delicious (and nutritious) sandwich when suddenly the world warped around her and the sandwich faded from view.

Letting out a sigh, Pyrrha glanced around at Ruby's room, the girl in question leaning over her dimly lit desk with far too much focus to notice the entire human coming into existence behind her. They had broken up over a year ago, and quite frankly the novelty of teleportation had worn off _extremely_ quickly. Particularly when it caused Pyrrha to have to drop whatever she was doing without any notice, which was of considerable difficulty.

Pyrrha took a moment to appraise the messy room, clothing strewn haphazardly about and some food wrappers scattered to the four corners of the bedroom. The blankets were twisted and unkempt, and Ruby's chair made certain, irritating squeaking noises whenever she adjusted her position. The girl herself was hunched over her work, the trademark red cloak wrapped around her (adorable) pyjamas and a forgotten bowl half filled with strawberries resting at her elbow as she focused. The headphones covering her ears and blasting some form of rock music was likely the deciding factor in the stealth of Pyrrha's arrival, and after a moment she reached over to tap Ruby lightly on the shoulder.

Starting, Ruby nearly fell off her chair, arms flailing wildly and a pen shooting off to embed itself in a convenient wall. "Wha-?!" Ruby flung her headphones away and Pyrrha watched them twang and bounce on their cord in the air while Ruby composed herself and attempted to lower her vocal volume before waking up the entire house. "What are you doing here?" Ruby whisper-shouted.

Pyrrha shrugged, vaguely gesturing towards Ruby. "I don't know, you probably just need something again."

Ruby's mouth fell open into an 'O' as she turned back to her desk and lifted up one very filled out piece of paper, raising it up into the holy light of the lamp. Spinning back around to face Pyrrha before scooting the wheeled chair over to her, Ruby held the paper aloft before she gently brought it down into Pyrrha's hands. With a measured sigh, Pyrrha strode over to the light and tried to piece together what accident had happened on this paper.

"I just ah…" Glancing back, Pyrrha saw Ruby adorably poking her index fingers together as she looked down into her lap. "I couldn't answer this question and needed some help."

Biting down an amused smile, Pyrrha returned to the task at hand in her hand and quickly scanned the page for the question. Then, grabbing a nearby pen before quickly discarding it when it failed to function and accepting a fresh one from Ruby, Pyrrha took a clean sheet of paper and rewrote the question, adding words and steps along the way to make it simpler.

' _Step 1: Find, in modulus argument form, the roots of the equation: z_ _2n+1_ _= 1'_

Ruby leaned over her shoulder to look at what she was writing in clear, legible print, nearly bumping her hand and smudging her clean script.

' _Step 2: Using the results found in (1), factorise z_ _2n_ _\+ z_ _2n-1_ … _\+ z_ _2_ _\+ z + 1 into quadratic factors with real coefficients'_

Pyrrha slid the paper across the desk to rest before Ruby while she took a step back into the relative darkness of Ruby's room. Pyrrha allowed a smile to break through as Ruby let out an exclamation of enlightenment and hit herself on the forehead with a palm. Just as she opened the door, Ruby sped over and hugged her tight, pushing herself all up into Pyrrha's comfortable chest.

"Thanks for the help, Pyrrha!" And with that chirpy goodbye, Ruby returned to her seat where she began the assault against the maths problem which had vanquished her so.

Slipping out silently and letting the door click shut behind her, Pyrrha sneaked down the hallway to where a light was peering out from beneath the door to the living room. After giving a quiet knock, Pyrrha pushed the door open and slipped in.

"Oh, hey, Pyrrha," Yang waved at her from her comfortable position on the couch. "You get whipped through the universe again?"

Pyrrha awkwardly shifted her weight between her feet and rubbed her left elbow. "Yeah. Ruby just needed some help with a maths problem."

"Ah. _Fun_."

Swallowing and grimacing, Pyrrha asked Yang, "Do you uh… Think you could give me a lift back home?" Yang was older than Pyrrha by nearly a year, and teleportation typically had the issue of having to return to wherever she was before the sudden jump, which would have meant walking a long distance home in the dark.

Yang leaped up off the sofa and turned off the television. "Yeah, sure thing." She passed Pyrrha and began to walk along the hallway to her room. "Just gimme a minute to get changed and find my keys."

And with that she vanished into her room, light briefly flooding the hall before she closed the door to an ajar position. Pyrrha relaxed and decided to stay put rather than roam the home she knew nearly nothing about, apart from Ruby's room and the path to the front door which she had been forced to memorise after several teleportation predicaments. Suddenly, Pyrrha felt her gut shift and the universe warped around her again.

"Maths problems?" Pyrrha asked with a smile, appearing to the sight of Ruby scratching her head as she regarded a question.

Ruby spun around in her wheelie chair with her legs pulled up to her chest and a cute pout on her face, saying, "This question's being a real meanie. Can you help me deal with it, Pyrrha?"

Letting out a small chuckle and sitting on the edge of Ruby's chair, Pyrrha responded, "Sure, Ruby. I'll help you."

Slowly, Pyrrha felt Ruby rest more and more upon her shoulder while she was explaining the theory behind De Moivre's Theorem and the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra, but she continued her explanation until there was a faint knock on the door and Yang popped her head in. "I'm fairly sure she's asleep," Yang whispered. "Ready to head home?"

Pyrrha turned and lifted Ruby into her arms in a bridal carry, walking over to gently settle the small, sleeping girl down onto her bed and tucking her in. Pyrrha faced a smiling Yang as she said, "I am now."

* * *

"Gah! Pyrrha!"

"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha shouted as she immediately spun away from Ruby and gazed at the very interesting tiled wall. It had been several years since they had broken up amicably, and Pyrrha was still being ported across Remnant to Ruby's side whenever the occasion called for it. Such as this... situation she had found herself in. "What exactly do you need, Ruby?"

"Some toilet paper?" Ruby's voice quavered into a question.

Pyrrha carefully walked over to the door and patted her jacket pocket to check that her purse was with her. It wasn't. Of course it wasn't. "I can head out and buy you some, but I don't have any money on me."

Pyrrha heard movement through the air behind her and assumed Ruby was waving her arms around. "If you just head into my room, you can borrow some money from my bag."

Pyrrha reached out to unlock the door but hesitated for a brief moment. "Uh… After you've… Finished… Do you think you could give me a ride home?"

"Yeah, sure. Please just go," Ruby pleaded.

Pyrrha opened the door and slid it shut behind her before heading out on her errand.

* * *

On some occasions, teleporting to Ruby's side wasn't so bad. On others, it was a real pain. Then there was that one time that Ruby needed Pyrrha while Pyrrha was having a shower. That was one _really_ awkward dinner situation and ride home that Pyrrha would never be able to forget until the end of her days. But gradually, the little forays over into Ruby's life were becoming less and less frequent as she gained control over her life, and Pyrrha began to miss the sporadic adventures they had together.

Ten years after their cordial break up, Pyrrha appeared in Ruby's room once more. It had been nearly a full month since her last little jaunt through space, and Pyrrha reoriented herself after suddenly abandoning her afternoon jog to be summoned to Ruby's side. The room was far tidier than Ruby's original one, thanks in small part to Pyrrha who had begun to comment on the state of the jungle she had appeared in several times, and the curtains were drawn to block out all sunlight. There, sitting on the edge of her bed in the dark, Ruby was crying.

Pyrrha felt a sheet of ice slide through her heart and chill her, quickly rushing to Ruby's side and enveloping her in a comforting hug. Ruby's sobs continued into her shoulder as the hug was returned, Pyrrha holding her close and trying to warm her.

"I'm sorry, Pyrrha," Ruby sniffled before hiccupping. "I didn't mean to-"

"Shhh," Pyrrha whispered gently, patting Ruby's back and pulling the shaking girl in to rest against her chest. "It's okay," She comforted, resting her own chin on Ruby's shoulder. "I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you."

Maybe this promise wasn't so bad after all.


	13. Always Take the Coffee Holders Off

_You can do this, Ruby, you can do this. You've TOTALLY got this! You've faced Grimm and survived a world-ending cataclysm, what's_ _one girl?_

Ruby was vaguely conscious that she was hyperventilating. She could see Yang across the street, peeking over the top of her totally-not-conspicuous newspaper that was two weeks out of date as Blake sat on the other side of the picnic table, twirling her hair around a finger as she read. Weiss was there, too, a short distance away, talking on her Scroll with Neptune. Date planning again, if Ruby had to guess. The city park was bustling around them, midmorning foot traffic steadily rising and falling as parents came through with their children, college students bustled through on their way to classes, and bikers sped past, following the bike trail that stretched from here to the beach.

Her face reddening as she turned towards the _Bean and Gone_ coffee shop, Ruby inhaled deeply and yanked the door (the handle was cutely shaped like a coffee bean) open. Yang had adored the pun, which is what had led them to the cafe in the first place, but the coffee… honestly, it wasn't great. Ruby was fine with that, though. It wasn't like her coffee ever tasted like _coffee_ when she was finished mixing it. Or, as Weiss called it, 'destroying it.'

As ever, the shop had a lovely, homely atmosphere. Immediately to her left was a corner with two plush armchairs, upon one of which a young woman with short orange hair was sitting with her legs folded. She was always there, Ruby noted. She'd have to go and talk to her sometime. Just not _this_ time.

Behind the chairs was a small bookshelf that the patrons of the coffee shop were allowed and encouraged to use as they wished, so long as the books were returned. Ruby herself had now 'read' many of the books, though that 'reading' consisted of staring over the lip of the book at the counter as a certain barista bustled behind it. To her right was a collection of tables that stretched around the bend in the counter, to the back of the shop. The entire affair was lit up with natural light, full-length windows running the walls and interspersed only with support beams when absolutely necessary. Little knick-knacks adorned the tables. Toy trucks. Bundles of herbs. Seemingly random objects, but Ruby had been assured in passing that each of them had significance to the owner.

She had yet to meet them. Not that it mattered, she mused. As callous as it was… well, she wasn't here for them!

Shaking her head, she approached the counter, and was almost immediately greeted by a warm, familiar voice.

"Hello, and welcome to _Gone and Be-_ Oh, hello again, Ruby!"

"H-hey, Pyrrha!" she greeted, already blushing as she failed to stop the goofy grin spreading across her face. _No, no, no! Stupid! Stop smiling like an idiot, Ruby!_

"What can I get for you today?" the taller redhead asked politely, already knowing the answer. Her emerald eyes seemed to sparkle with mirth, as if she half-knew Ruby's inner dialogue. Her crimson hair, as ever, was tied back in a ponytail that poked out of the back of her work hat. "The usual, I assume."

Ruby gave a mute nod, face burning. This happened _every_ time. It'd been going on for weeks! She always came in with the intent to ask Pyrrha out, and only left with a coffee in hand and a heavy heart. Even now, as she paid, she couldn't seem to force her mouth open other than to mumble a 'thank you.'

"Is that all today?" questioned Pyrrha, smile as brilliant as ever. Ruby nodded again. "Well, then, I'll have it right out! Thanks for your business!"

"N-no problem!" squeaked Ruby, taking her usual seat by the window in the back corner of the cafe.

Minutes ticked by. Ruby fiddled with her scroll, playing some random game she'd downloaded the day before. It managed to amuse her for a few minutes, until she heard her name called, and made to stand up.

As she did so, however, she noticed something unusual; Pyrrha, lacking her work clothes, walking towards her, a coffee in each hand. Instead of her uniform, she was wearing a pair of rather tight-fitting jeans and a brown jacket with a plain white v-neck beneath it. Resting on top of her bust was a necklace Ruby had never noticed before; she supposed it must've been hidden beneath the woman's uniform. It was in the shape of an arrow, resting atop a circular shield. On the taller woman's shoulder was a brown satchel, with Ruby supposed must've been where she stored her uniform.

"Sorry," Pyrrha said breathlessly, sitting down across from her as Ruby looked on in confusion. "There were a few people after you, so I had to shift around a little to make sure yours would still be warm when I got to you!"

"Still be… warm?" Ruby echoed, glancing down at her phone. Shocked, she realised that half an hour had passed, as Pyrrha set the coffees down, one labeled "Ruby" and the other "Pyrrha."

"Mm. We've been _so_ busy lately," the other continued, as Ruby tilted her head this way and that, still confused.

"Yeah… shouldn't you be… w-working?" she stammered. Pyrrha chuckled, shaking her head, crimson hair shaking with the motion.

"My shift just ended," she said, sipping her coffee, raising her cup to her lips and raising an eyebrow as Ruby failed to do the same. "Is something wrong?"

"O-oh, no!" Ruby squeaked, quickly raising her own up and sipping it, cringing as it burned her tongue a little.

"Say, Ruby…" Pyrrha leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and setting her coffee aside. "Can I ask you for some advice?"

"Advice?" Ruby asked, puzzled. Pyrrha, the strong, radiant art student who knew _everything_ , wanted _her_ advice? "About wh-what?"

"Well, there's this girl I've been meaning to ask out for a while now…"

Ruby's stomach dropped like a stone. She felt all the warmth drain from her cheeks, and had a momentary flash of bitter pride as she forced tears from forming in her eyes. "O-oh… who is she?"

"Well… she comes into my work almost every day. She's got this gorgeous smile, and she's always reading something new. She always sits in the same spot, and if someone takes it, she'll sit as close to it as possible while glaring daggers at their back."

Ruby's stomach dropped even further. The girl by the window _did_ have a nice smile, she supposed…

"...Ruby?"

Ruby looked up. Pyrrha was looking at her, concern clearly evident on her features. It slowly morphed to horror.

"Oh, oh my god, I said something wrong, didn't I? I'm sorry, I'm really new to this, and I…"

"Something… wrong? New to what?" Ruby uttered, confusion returning full-force.

"I've never asked someone out before," confessed Pyrrha, looking at the floor, her face as red as Ruby's favourite cloak.

There was a pause. The realisation hit Ruby, poor, dense little Ruby, like a freight train. At first, she couldn't do anything. Then, ever so slowly, the largest, silliest grin she'd ever grinned spread across her face.

"Oh," she said. " _Oh._ "

"O-oh?" Pyrrha mumbled, still looking at the floor. "I'm sorry…"

"P-Pyrrha, I…" Ruby fumbled for words, the happiness currently overloading her brain making it hard to speak. "I… yeah, me too!"

"...what?" Pyrrha looked up, now as clearly confused as Ruby had been a few moments before.

"I-I've been trying to ask you out for _weeks!_ " Ruby declared loudly.

Perhaps a bit too loudly. Activity in the shop momentarily ceased, and various customers gave Ruby a disapproving eye, before returning to their books or phones.

"...oops. Hehe." She gave a nervous laugh, voice weak with embarrassment. Pyrrha, seeming to get over her own confusion and embarrassment, began to chuckle. Ruby felt a warm hand take hers, and Pyrrha gave a shy smile.

"Well, now I really feel quite dumb," murmured Pyrrha. "I… I take it you'd be up for a date, then?"

"Y-yeah!" returned Ruby in an excited whisper. "B-but how will I contact you?"

"Ruby…" Pyrrha's brow knit. "Do you not take coffee holders off when the drink gets cold?"

Ruby looked at the circle of brown cardboard around her coffee cup, tilting her head and squinting in confusion. "Um… no?"

"Please…" Pyrrha gestured at it, now smiling with a slight mischievous glint in her eye. "Do so."

Carefully, Ruby slid it off, and as she did, noticed a string of black numbers on the cup, neatly hidden by where the holder rested.

A scroll number?

A realisation dawned. "Oh…"

Pyrrha was now grinning widely in amusement, another chuckle escaping her. "I've been writing it on there every day for a month, Ruby. I wasn't sure whether you were ignoring or not noticing it… so I kept writing it."

"Wh-why didn't you just give it to me on a napkin?" asked Ruby. Pyrrha shifted a little.

"Well… this way you wouldn't see it until you were gone…"

 _Oh my god, Pyrrha is shy._

The realisation almost made her squee, and her fingers wove into Pyrrha's in a gesture that was perhaps a bit too intimate for people who only agreed to go on a date thirty seconds before, but neither of them could find it in them to care.

"So… does this mean we're, like, a _thing?_ " Ruby queried, playing with the hem of her skirt shyly.

Pyrrha blinked, nose crinkling cutely in thought. "I mean… I hope so. I'm fine with it if you are…?"

Ruby let out the most girlish giggle she'd allowed herself in years. She was so excited, so utterly filled with happiness at the prospect of dating _Pyrrha-_

 _Pyrrha…_

 _WHAT'S HER LAST NAME?!_

"Nikos," said an amused voice.

Ruby squeaked, looking back at Pyrrha, who was smiling at her, emerald eyes twinkling with the same look they'd had when she walked in. "Do you realise that you mumble to yourself?" she asked, squeezing Ruby's hand.

"S-sorry…" Ruby muttered, face burning.

"Don't be. It's cute." Looking around, Pyrrha sighed. "Hey… I hate to be a bother, but… I _do_ spend all day in here, and it's a beautiful day. Maybe… we can keep talking as we walk?"

"Oh! Oh, yeah!" replied Ruby excitedly, all but shooting to her feet. Pyrrha laughed, their hands weaving together again as each of them picked up their coffee cups.

Together, they exited the coffee shop, hand in hand emerging into bright sunshine, and, Ruby hoped, a bright future together.


End file.
